Death - Scream Bloody Gore (1987)

Although much had come before it in the way of raw, satanic based metal, Florida's Death created a whole genre within the metal scene, which became known as 'death metal'. This style of music was not necessarily as frenetic as the thrash of Slayer, but vocally could be described as far more guttural and gruff, with the music ranging from a brutal slow grind, to ultra-fast barrage. The lyrics were generally horror-themed, from zombies to mass murder, and in 'Scream Bloody Gore' main man Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) would become a legend in his own right and would go down in extreme metal history alongside Slayer, Venom, Celtic Frost and Possessed.
'Scream Bloody Gore' with its sleeve glorifying the undead, is the musical version of great splatter movies such as 'Dawn Of The Dead' and revels in tales of mutilation, sickness, gore and corpses, and tracks such as 'Mutilation', 'Zombie Ritual', 'Evil Dead' and 'Torn To Pieces' don't leave much to the imagination, they chug along at a reasonable pace, but Chuck's growls, whilst still decipherable, remain the band's best quality. Whilst much of this album is done tongue-in-cheek, it remains a classic record swamped in the guts, innards, blood and vile mess that metallers craved during the '80s.
8/10